Caption: Group photo of participants who completed three-day workshop called “Enhancing Ethical and Effective Election Coverage”
JOURNALISTS are a bridge between the electoral process and citizens.
This according to the British High Commissioner in Port of Spain Harriet Cross at the completion of a three-day media workshop.
A release on Wednesday by the British High Commission in Port of Spain stated that a UK-funded journalism workshop titled “Enhancing Ethical and Effective Election Coverage” was completed on August 14.
The workshop aimed to equip journalists in Trinidad & Tobago with the essential knowledge, skills, and ethical guidelines necessary for responsible and effective election reporting, it stated.
Commencing on August 6, the project was a collaborative effort between the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers & Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) and the Media Institute of the Caribbean (MIC). Over three days, the workshop covered crucial topics including fact-checking and debunking misinformation, covering election campaigns, and utilising digital tools and social media in election reporting.
The workshop featured a diverse lineup of local and international media experts and academics including Dr Ferdinand Ferreira, a founding member of the People’s National Movement; award-winning journalist and author Craig Silverman; Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, Senior Lecturer of Politics at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine; and journalist and media trainer Wesley Gibbings.
Additionally, representatives from the Trinidad and Tobago Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) provided insights into the roles and functions of the Commission and the key processes ensuring the orderly and lawful conduct of elections, the release stated.
Attendees consisted of mid to senior-level working journalists and journalism students from the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT).
Cross, the British High Commissioner noted the critical role journalists play in the electoral process.
She said, “In many ways, journalists are a bridge between the electoral process and the citizens of this country.”
Cross said, “The UK believes that a free and responsible press is a pillar of any democratic society, and we are proud to have been a partner in this initiative.”
MIC President Kiran Maharaj highlighted the workshop’s potential to significantly improve the quality of election coverage.
She said, “I believe, through this, we can design interventions of a similar nature throughout the region,” TTPBA’s Vice President, Christianne Elcock, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to strengthening the media industry through such workshops.
